Sneathia

Sneathia is a genus of obligate anaerobic, Gram-negative bacteria in the phylum Fusobacteriota (formerly Fusobacteria). The primary species is S. sanguinegens (formerly Leptotrichia sanguinegens), with S. amnii also clinically significant. Sneathia is a member of the BV-associated bacterial consortium alongside gardnerella, atopobium, megasphaera, and prevotella, and is emerging as a significant organism in preterm birth, HPV persistence, and reproductive tract microbiome studies.

Vaginal Microbiome — BV Consortium

Sneathia is enriched in BV and Community State Type IV vaginal microbiomes, co-occurring with the Gardnerella-Atopobium biofilm community:

  • Enriched in HPV-positive cervical microbiomes [1].
  • Elevated in vaginal samples associated with preterm birth risk [2].
  • Part of the statin-responsive BV microbiome — statins reduce Gardnerella vaginolysin and may affect the broader BV consortium [3].
  • Produces sialidase, contributing to mucosal barrier degradation alongside Atopobium [4].

Endometriosis — Cervical Depletion

Like other BV-associated organisms, Sneathia is depleted in cervical samples from endometriosis patients, part of the distinctive ecological shift away from the BV consortium toward Enterobacteriaceae dominance [5] [6] [7] [8].

Male Reproductive Tract

Emerging evidence of Sneathia in seminal fluid and male reproductive tract microbiome [9] [10].

Cross-References

References (11)

  1. Qian Yang, Yaping Wang, Xinyi Wei et al. (2020). Yang 2020 — Vaginal Microbiome Alterations in HPV16 Infection by Shotgun Metagenomics. Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology. doi:10.3389/fcimb.2020.00286
  2. Pamela Pruski, Gonçalo D. S. Correia, Holly V. Lewis et al. (2021). Pruski & Correia 2021 — Direct On-Swab Metabolic Profiling of Vaginal Microbiome Host Interactions During Pregnancy and Preterm Birth. Nature Communications. doi:10.1038/s41467-021-26215-w
  3. Abdelmaksoud AA, Girerd PH, Garcia EM et al. (2017). Abdelmaksoud 2017 — Association between Statin Use, the Vaginal Microbiome, and Gardnerella vaginalis Vaginolysin-Mediated Cytotoxicity. PLOS ONE. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0183765
  4. S. A. Roberts, L. Brabin, S. Diallo et al. (2019). Roberts 2019 — Mucosal Lactoferrin Response to Genital Tract Infections Is Associated with Iron and Nutritional Biomarkers. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition. doi:10.1038/s41430-019-0444-7
  5. Baris Ata, Sule Yildiz, Engin Turkgeldi et al. (2019). Ata 2019 — The Endobiota Study: Comparison of Vaginal, Cervical and Gut Microbiota Between Women with Stage 3/4 Endometriosis and Healthy Controls. Scientific Reports. doi:10.1038/s41598-019-39700-6
  6. Chloe Hicks, Mathew Leonardi, Xin-Yi Chua et al. (2025). Hicks et al. 2025 — Oral, Vaginal, and Stool Microbial Signatures in Patients With Endometriosis as Potential Diagnostic Non-Invasive Biomarkers. BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. doi:10.1111/1471-0528.17979
  7. Hooi-Leng Ser, Siu-Jung Au Yong, Mohamad Nasir Shafiee et al. (2023). Ser 2023 — Current Updates on the Role of Microbiome in Endometriosis: A Narrative Review. Microorganisms. doi:10.3390/microorganisms11020360
  8. Liping Shen, Wei Zhang, Yi Yuan et al. (2022). Shen 2022 — Vaginal Microecological Characteristics of Women in Different Physiological and Pathological Periods. Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology. doi:10.3389/fcimb.2022.959793
  9. Filipe T. Lira Neto, Marina C. Viana, Federica Cariati et al. (2024). Neto 2024 — Effect of Environmental Factors on Seminal Microbiome and Impact on Sperm Quality. Frontiers in Endocrinology. doi:10.3389/fendo.2024.1348186
  10. Magill RG, MacDonald SM (2023). Magill 2023 — Male Infertility and the Human Microbiome. Frontiers in Reproductive Health. doi:10.3389/frph.2023.1166201
  11. Jhommara Bautista, Carolina E. Echeverria, Ivan Maldonado-Noboa et al. (2025). Bautista 2025 — The Human Microbiome in Clinical Translation: From Bench to Bedside. Frontiers in Microbiology. doi:10.3389/fmicb.2025.1632435

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